Places of Remembrance Antisemitic Legislation During the Third

Places of Remembrance Antisemitic Legislation During the Third Reich and its Relevance Today 1

What is the role of a law in society? 2

Bavarian Quarter, Berlin, 1920 3

1932 German Presidential Election Paul von Hindenburg New York Times - 11 April 1932 4

Adolf Hitler Appointed Chancellor of Germany January 30, 1933 Adolf Hitler shakes the hand of President Paul von Hindenburg 5

Fire at the Reichstag Building 1933 6

Death of Paul von Hindenburg • August 2, 1934: President Paul von Hindenburg dies • August 19, 1934: Adolf Hitler abolishes the office of President and declares himself “Führer of the German Reich and People” 7

Places of Remembrance Renata Stih Frieder Schnock Bavarian Quarter, Berlin Po. R video 8

1933 Laws March 18 Jewish lawyers and notaries may no longer have legal responsibilities concerning the City of Berlin. March 31 Jewish judges are suspended. March 31 Costs for treatment by a Jewish doctor after April 1, 1933 will not be reimbursed by the City of Berlin's public insurance company. All local government offices in Berlin must immediately suspend Jewish teachers in public schools. Jewish civil servants may no longer serve the State. April 1 April 7 Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service April 25 Jews are excluded from sports groups. June 28 Only films which have been created in Germany solely by German citizens, who are of German descent, can be acknowledged as a German film. July 9 Jewish members of the Greater German Chess Association are expelled. August 16 Jews are expelled from all choral groups. August 22 Jews may not use the public beach at Wannsee Lake September 13 The subjects "Genetic Heredity" and "Race" are examination fields at all schools. October 1 Jews are not permitted to join the newly-founded Collective German 9 Automobile Club.

1934 Law and Event March 5 August 2 Employment ban for Jewish actors and actresses. Paul von Hindenburg dies 10

1935 Laws The Year 1935 Jewish art and antique dealers are not allowed to practice their profession. Their businesses must be closed within four weeks. March 1 Jewish authors are forbidden from all literacy activities in Germany. March 31 Employment ban for all Jewish musicians. Excursions by Jewish youth groups of more than 20 people are forbidden. Citizens of German descent and Jews who enter marriages or extra-marital affairs with members of the other group will be imprisoned. As of today, mixed marriages are not valid. July 10 September 15 (Nuremburg Laws) 11

1936 Laws The Year 1936 Antisemitic signs in Berlin are being temporarily removed for the 1936 Olympic Games. January 29 To avoid giving foreign visitors a negative impression, signs with strong language will be removed. Signs, such as "Jews are unwanted here" will suffice. April 3 Jewish veterinarians may not open practices. Journalists must prove their and their spouse's Aryan descent as far back as the year 1800. Baptism and the conversion of Jews to Christianity have no bearing on the issue of race. April 15 October 4 12

1937 Laws April 15 Jews may not receive academic degrees. June 8 Post Office officials married to Jews must retire. 13

1938 Laws and Events The year 1938 Aryan and non-Aryan children are not allowed to play together. January 1 Jews may not be members of the German Red Cross. March 12 German Anschluss – annexation of Austria March 22 April 26 Only honorable comrades of German blood, or related descent, may become allotment-gardeners. Jews must declare their incomes and property "to ensure that these assets are used in the best interest of the German economy. " July 25 Jewish doctors may no longer practice. July 27 Streets named after Jews are to be renamed. Haverland Strasse - named after the developer of the Bavarian Quarter - will be renamed Treuchtlinger and Noerdlinger Strasse. July 31 August 17 September 1 October 5 Jews may inherit only when the national socialist morals are upheld. All Jews must adopt the names of "Israel" for men and "Sara" for women as additional first names. Jews are not permitted to leave their apartments after 8 p. m. (9 p. m. during the summer). Passports belonging to Jews must be marked with the letter "J". Passports will be confiscated from Jews who are not allowed to emigrate. 14

1938 Laws and Events November 9 Kristallnacht During an organized pogrom in November 1938, many Jews are murdered and Jewish shops and synagogues destroyed. Thousands are deported to concentration camps. November 12 Jews may no longer work as independent craftsmen. November 12 Senior Jewish employees can be fired without notice or compensation. November 12 Attendance at cinemas, theaters, opera houses, and concert halls is forbidden for Jews. November 12 November 15 Jews may not own or run retail shops or mail order businesses. December 1 Jewish children are expelled from public schools. Jewish publishing houses and bookstores are to be dissolved by the end of the year. December 3 Certain parts of Berlin are restricted for Jews. December 3 Baths and swimming pools in Berlin are closed to Jews. December 3 Drivers licenses and automobile registrations belonging to Jews are void and must be returned. December 21 Jewish women cannot be certified as midwives. 15

1939 Laws and Events Eye-witness reports 1939 At Bavarian Quarter town square, Jews may sit only on yellow park benches. January 16 Jewelry and other valuables may not be taken out of the country by emigrants. January 17 General employment ban on Jews. Employment ban for Jewish dentists, dental technicians, pharmacists homeopathic doctors, and nurses. Jewelry, items made of gold, silver, or platinum, and pearls belonging to Jews are to be turned to the State. Jewish communities are responsible for clearing the rubble at synagogues that have been destroyed. Reconstruction is forbidden. January 17 February 21 March 24 April 30 Rental agreements with Jews can be terminated without reason and without keeping within set legal deadlines. Jews can be sent to so-called "Jew Houses". September 1 German invasion of Poland (Beginning of WWII) September 23 Radios are confiscated from Jews. December 1 Jews no longer receive ration cards for clothing. 16

1940 Laws July 4 Jews in Berlin are only allowed to buy food between four and five o'clock in the afternoon. July 29 Telephone lines to Jewish households will be cut off. 17

1941 Laws and Events March 4 All Jews are obliged to do hard labor. June 26 Jews may no longer purchase soap and shaving cream. June 22 Operation Barbarossa – German invasion of Soviet Union August 2 Jews may not use public libraries. September 1 All Jews over the age of 6 must wear a yellow star with the word "Jew" on it. September 18 Jews may not use public transportation during peak travel hours. They may sit only when other travelers have been seated. Jews require a police permit to leave their place of residence. September 18 October 18 First mass deportations of Berlin Jews. October 23 The emigration of Jews is forbidden. December 7 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor December 21 Use of public telephones is forbidden. 18

1942 Laws and Event January 1 Confiscation of furs and wool clothing from Jews. January 20 Wannsee Conference February 14 In bakeries and cafes, signs must be posted stating that Jews and Poles may not purchase cakes. February 15 Jews are no longer allowed to have household pets. February 17 Jews must declare their incomes and property "to ensure that these assets are used in the best interest of the German economy. " Jews may only use public transportation if their place of work is more than seven kilometers from their home. Jewish children may only use public transportation to go to school if the school is more than five kilometers from their home. March 24 March 26 Apartments inhabited by Jewish families must display the Jew star. April 24 Jews completely banned from using public transportation. June 11 Cigarettes and cigars are no longer sold to Jews. 19

1942 Laws June 19 Jews must hand over all electrical and optical appliances, bicycles, typewriters, and records. June 20 All Jews prohibited from attending school. June 26 Jews banned from using ticket machines for public transportation. July 10 No fresh milk for Jews. First deportations directly to the death center at Auschwitz. Poles and Jews may not be witnesses in court cases against Germans. July 11 August 7 September 13 Jews are permitted to use public transportation only to go to work. September 18 Jews may no longer purchase meat, meat products or other rationed foods. October 9 Jews may not purchase books. 20

1943 Law March 26 Organized arrests for deportation to take place at Jews' place of work. 21

1944 Event June 6 D-Day (Allied invasion at Normandy, France) 22

1945 Law and Event February 16 May 8 All files dealing with antisemitic activities are to be destroyed. VE Day (Victory in Europe Day – official acceptance of Nazi Germany’s surrender) 23

Current Connections • Do any of these laws remind you of other events in history or in the present day? • What are some laws that have been passed in the United States or in your region/city/state recently? Who is most affected by these laws? Who benefits most from these laws? • Who is involved in passing laws in the United States or your region/city/state today. Who is affected most by these laws? Who benefits from these laws? 24

What steps could you take if you knew lawmakers were considering passing a law you disagreed with today? What steps could you take if lawmakers passed a law that was oppressive, discriminatory, or that you disagreed with today? 25

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